Liquid flow proportioning apparatus



July 1, 1952 F. TODD 2,601,971

LIQUID FLOW PROPORTIONING APPARATUS Filed April 20, 1949 Patented July 1, 1952 UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE LIQUID FLOW PROPORTIONING APPARATUS Floyd- Todd, Springfield, Pa; Application April 20, 1949, Serial No. 88,580.

This invention relates to liquid flow control apparatusand is particularly adapted to. still heads in which it is desired to regulate the reflux. ratio between takeeoff distillate and reflux.

Although there have been prior devices intended to proportion liquid flow and especially devices intended to'control the reflux ratio in a still head, such known structures have provedv unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. Some devices for this purpose have not been sufficiently 7 Claims. (01. 257 -34) as distillate, thereupon drips from the lowest supported in a member known as the still head,

accurate to justify the expense of their manu' facture. Others have been characterized byrelatively complicated andlex'pensive structure which has'necessitatedextreme care on the part of the operator to obtain satisfactory results. In still others, it has been impossible to obtain a sufficiently wide range. of ratios and particularly; in many forms ithas been impossible to obtain total collection of distillate if desired. f

The present device is extremely accurate, simple to adjust to any desired, ratio, and is so cone structed that no distillate, or all the distillate, may betaken off'as product or returnedto the distillation column as reflux.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an extremely simple and inexpensive adjustable means for diverting any desired proportion of a liquid into one or'more separate drip paths.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide, a still head assemblyin which the total distillate, is collected around thelower edge of the condense} er neck; so that the'distillate converges ma. single point above the .produ'ct'take off conduit, and in which adeflector plateenables any desired proportion of' the distillate .to be returned as reflux before dripping into the refluxfcollector. 1 Other objects will be apparent from the specification and drawingsin which:

' Fig. 1 is a Vertical section of a still head -l 1a mg a reflux proportioning device constructed 'i'n a'ccordance-with the invention; 4

Fig.2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the refluxratio adjusting means; I Fig. 3 is a detail in elevation; of the ratio pro-- portioning means, shown in Fig. 1, partly sectioned-to show the course of the distillate; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section as seen at 4-4 ofFig.l. .7

The invention comprises essentially the provision of a plane, biased annularedge on a liquid conduit providing a plane, operatively continuous surface forthe'flow'of liquid therealong in which the amount of liquid passing through the bore of the conduit enables all of" the. liquid to flow in relatively-close association witli said bore that all of the. liquid iscollected on the biased edge of the conduit and flows' inan uninterrupted continuou path from the higher portions of said edge to the lowest point thereof. The liquid, which in the present embodiment is referred to and are relatively narrow,

which serves as a coupling between the condenser and the distillation column. The biased condens- ;er edge is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, relatively narrow axial slots in which a deflector plate may be positioned and retained by suitable means such as the inherent springiness of the plate. The liquid or distillate running down the plane, operatively continuous biased edge above the deflector flows onto the deflector and drips fromthe lowermost point of the biased deflector edge to provide a second or reflux drip path which communicates with the distillation column; By selectively positioning the deflector in any opposite pair of slots, the relative amounts of distillate deflected from the condenser tip as distinguished from the deflector tip, may readily becontrolled in any desired ratio.

Referring now more particularly to the draw ings, the still head assembly-designated generally at I0, comprises a reflux condenser II utilizing a conventional jacket I2 having coolantv passages I3 and I4 in communicatidntherewith, and a passage I5 in communication with the bore I6 of the condenser. Passage I5 may be open to the.

atmosphere or connected to a suitable source or vacuum, if desired. As the gas or vapor contacts the relatively cool inner walls of chamber I6, it condenses into drops of liquid which flow down the innerwalls of the chamber. 'Condenserl'II is mounted in the tapered neck of head I1 which is provided with a take-01f conduit I8, athermometer well, I9, and a tapered ground joint 20 adapted to'fit a distillation column (not shown). Conduit-I8 extends into the bore of head I! and is provided with'a funnel-shaped'mouth 2 I'which is substantially offset from the center line of condenser II and head I7. Conduit I8 may be provided with a suitable stop cock 22, if desired.

The walls I6, of condenser I I terminate at their lower end in a biased annular edge 23 cut at approximately 45 to provide a plane, operatively continuous surface for the flow of liquid therealong from thehighermost to the lowermost point of said edge, and when assembled the lowermost point 23a of edge 23 is positioned above the mouth 2I of conduit I8. Edge 23'is alsoprovided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, relatively narrow, axial notches or slots25, 25 which desir ably are transversely aligned in pairs. The rela tive position of slots 25 may beselected-in ac cordance with any predetermined reflux ratio that particular still'head. As

may b'e' adapted to the stated, slots 25, 25 are circumferentially spaced and hence, are insufiicient in width to interfere with the continuous 'flow of liquid from the highermost to the lowermost point of edge 23. When, in the present specification and claims, I refer to a plane, operatively continuous edge, I intend to designate an edge substantially devoid of elevations or depressions, one that is substantially even, flat, or forms a part of a single plane. The fact that the open ends of slots 25, 25 open on the edge 23 does not interfere with the continuous flow of the liquid downwardly along said edge. A relatively thin deflector plate 25 is positioned in any pair of slots 25, 25 so that the distillate running down onto any portion of the edge 23 above deflector 26 will run from the edge 23 onto the deflector. Once the liquid is on the deflector, it runs vertically downward thereon and then along the lower biased edge 26a of said deflector to the lowermost point 26b of the deflector edge from which the distillate drops in a path radially displaced from the mouth 2! of conduit I8. It will be understood that deflector 28 may be retained in any pair of slots by the thickness of the plate with respect to the slots, but I have found that the provision of a somewhat resilient plate, preferably of metal, which is bent into a V shape (as shown in Fig. 2) provides ample pressure to hold the deflector in the slots.

Fig. 3 illustrates how drops or streams of distillate running down the inner walls of chamber l6 below the position of deflector 26 will eventually strike edge 23 at some point below the slot in which the deflector is held, whereupon the liquid follows the plane, operatively continuous edge down to tip 23a to drip into conduit I8. Likewise, as explained previously, all distillate running from the condenser which strikes edge 23 above deflector plate 26, will be directed away from conduit 18 and through joint 20. As shown in Fig. 3, thewidth of slots 25 i such that the flow of liquid either in droplets or in a stream along edge 23, is operatively continuous and will not be entirely interrupted by the relatively narrow slots so that there will be more than one drip point. It will be understood that the number of ratio adjustments is limited onlyby the number of slots 25 which may be provided in edge 23 so that an extremely wide range may be achieved. When funnel 2| is substantially offset, as shown in Fig.'1, it is entirely feasible to rotate condenser l I so that no distillate whatsoever will be received by conduit 18. ,It is not necessary that the deflector be positioned in opposite registering slots if an immediate ratio is desired because the thickness of the deflector with respect to the slots is such that it may be moved one slot at a time on either side.

While the liquid portioning or control device described herein is illustrated in conjunction with a still head, it will be understood that the same structure is applicable for any purpose in which there is a liquid flow around the inner periphery of a hollow member and it may be desired to divert a portion of such flow into one or more separate channels or paths.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a still head apparatus for selectively obtaining a reflux ratio, a hollow liquid conduit adapted to carry liquid downwardly along the periphery of the bore of said conduit, a single biased discharge edge forming the bottom of said conduit, said edge being plane and receiving allof the liquid flowing through the bore of said conduit and providing an operatively continuous surface for the flow of said liquid therealong from the highermost to the lowermost point of said edge, said lowermost point providing a first drip path for the liquid, and a deflector in operative association with said biased edge for interrupting the flow of liquid therealong from the highermost to the lowermost point of said edge for deflecting a portion of the liquid flowing along said edge away from said lowermost point, said deflector providing a second drip path for the liquid separate from the first drip path.

2. A still head apparatus for selectively obtaining a reflux ratio as defined in claim 1, in which said deflector has a biased lower edge providing an operatively continuous surface for the flow of liquid therealong for the highermost to the lowermostpoint of said edge, said lowermost point of said biased lower edge of said deflector providing said second drip path.

3. A still head apparatus for selectively obtaining a reflux ratio as defined in claim 1 in which said deflector is adjustable along the biased edge of said conduit to vary its position with respect to said lowermost point of said biased edge of said conduit, and wherein means are provided adjacent said biased edge of said conduit for maintaining said deflector in its adjusted position.

4. A still head apparatus for selectively obtaining a reflux ratio as defined in claim 1 in which the biased lower edge of said conduit is provided with relatively narrow oircumferentially spaced slots at varying distances from the lowermost point of said edge, and wherein said deflector i adapted for selective positioning'within at least one of said slots, said deflector being retained in the selected one or more slots by engagement between said deflector with a wall defining said one or more slots.

5. A still head apparatus for selectively obtaining a reflux ratio as defined in claim 1 in which the biased lower edge of said conduit is provided with circumferential spaced pairs of relatively narrow slots one slot of each pair being positioned at opposite sides of the lowermost point of said edge, and the pairs of slots being at varying distances from said lowermost point of said edge, said deflector being positioned within a selected pair of said slots and being frictionally retained therein.

6. A still head apparatusj for selectively ob taining a reflux ratio as defined in claim 5, in which the deflector comprises an axially bendable, resilient plate.

7. A still head apparatu fo'r selectively ob taining a reflux ratio as defined in claim 6 in which said deflector has a biased lower edge and in which the lowermost point of said edge provides said second drip path. V r

- FLOYD TODD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Berg July 19. 1949 

